Part 16 (1/2)

I s.h.i.+vered. ”As I child, I watched newsreels of corpses bulldozed into pits of lime, and why? Because someone decided he was more worthy of life than his fellow men, and infected others with this disease.”

Philip stood up, stretching his long body. ”I grow weary of this philosophical and ethical carousel, and beg to be let off before my poor head aches. My advice Ethan is to enjoy her- or I'll spirit this Psyche off to young Eros, leaving you to brood in silence.”

”She'd never fall for that that.”

”You don't understand women, Ethan.”

Ethan smirked. ”No one understands women like I do.”

”Someone needs to teach you humility, and high time.” Philip put his arm about my waist. ”Come Mia, let's dance the night away to the strains of the phonograph and leave poor Byron here to figure out what we already know.”

”And what pray tell would that be?”

He danced me around the terrace madly. ”How to live, my pet!”

NINE.

”Ethan's bizarre plans for me left me uneasy. I only hoped it was a pa.s.sing whim and he'd get over it, but somehow I couldn't believe it. He didn't bring it up again for the remainder of Philip's visit. I could only wonder what Brovik would do when he learned.

Philip was just the sort of distraction I needed from Ethan's constant lessons. He kept us out all night, dancing and haunting nightspots. But I never had a chance to speak with him alone until Ethan was forced to pay a courtesy call on Gaius one early October evening.

”Come to Capri with me,” Ethan urged Philip, as he checked out his appearance in the drawing room mirror.

”I must beg off. I'd much rather stay here with Mia. Gaius's chamber of horrors holds no charms for me. And those two succubae he keeps- no thank you. I prefer to remain intact.”

”Very well. Behave yourself.”

”I'll be a good uncle.”

Philip and I went out onto the terrace as Ethan pulled away from the dock in our boat. The garden still dripped with roses, but the air was crisp and cool, with the scent of iron and sugar from the distant slopes of Vesuvius, and the ripened grapes growing there.

”Philip... about Brovik.”

Philip took me by the shoulders, dark eyes fixed on mine. ”You're caught in the middle of a battle that's been raging for a century. It runs hot and cold with them. Right now is one very very cold spell.” cold spell.”

”Yet he still works works for him?” for him?”

”Brovik looks out for us and we pay tribute to him. It's the way things are done. It started when Brovik took Kurt... ”

”Kurt?”

”He was just eighteen when Brovik found him. His entire family was transported to Auschwitz to be ga.s.sed, but he'd been sent instead to Dauchau to work. One night Brovik was there, doing business with the commandant, when the boy was dragged out and beaten, nearly to death. Brovik paid a vast sum to take him away from there. Ethan is simply jealous. Brovik dotes on the boy, but Ethan is is and will always be his favorite. Ethan can only play this game with Brovik for so long. Sooner or later he always goes back to him. When he does, be wary. Trust no one. Nature provided you with this enchanting form- use it. If it means swallowing your pride to survive, do it. It's a b.l.o.o.d.y game Mia. Innocents are slaughtered in the playing.” and will always be his favorite. Ethan can only play this game with Brovik for so long. Sooner or later he always goes back to him. When he does, be wary. Trust no one. Nature provided you with this enchanting form- use it. If it means swallowing your pride to survive, do it. It's a b.l.o.o.d.y game Mia. Innocents are slaughtered in the playing.”

What could I say? What can you say when you find out the man you love was the lover of another man?

Suddenly a rock dislodged on the hillside. In a blur of movement, Philip leapt, taking hold of the dark figure hiding behind a column. Dirk struggled but Philip's arm held him fast as an iron bar, his free hand pressing a knife against Dirk's carotid. ”You've violated a sacred law, you brute,” Philip said. ”Does your elder know you're trespa.s.sing?”

Dirk's eyes had the look of a trapped animal.

I shuddered. ”He must have snuck off as soon as Ethan got to Capri.”

”Call the palazzo. Ethan and Gaius must come immediately. I'll keep this one out of trouble.”

Philip dragged Dirk into the house, throwing him into a chair with the knife still poised at his throat. I did as I was told, relating the story to a furious Ethan over the phone.

They arrived by boat shortly afterward. Gaius took his usual seat, leaning back, surveying us all as if we were part of his dominion. If he'd asked us to kiss his ring I wouldn't have been surprised. He got right to the point. ”I can't blame this fool. She's been made to fascinate and he's weak. Dirk tells me she's allowed liberties.”

Dirk elaborated, ”She let me touch her.”

Ethan grabbed me by the arm. ”Tell the truth, Madam!”

”I did no such thing!”

Gaius smirked. ”Women are accomplished liars. The innocence of her face is deception itself. Nevertheless, I'll send him to Diego to learn some manners. But If I were you my friend, I'd keep a closer eye on her.” He stared down Ethan coolly as he rose. ”Brovik will be informed about this matter.”

After they left, Ethan called me onto the carpet. ”You let him touch touch you? Gaius would be more than happy for you to play their nasty games all the time. I'm sure he has a special place reserved in his dungeon. You've created a problem for me! My orders are to keep close tabs on the Wolf, and now we've offended him. You could have played them for some time, but you were stupid. Haven't I taught you anything?” you? Gaius would be more than happy for you to play their nasty games all the time. I'm sure he has a special place reserved in his dungeon. You've created a problem for me! My orders are to keep close tabs on the Wolf, and now we've offended him. You could have played them for some time, but you were stupid. Haven't I taught you anything?”

”Just to be a wh.o.r.e!”

Ethan grabbed me by the back of the hair. ”You have a part to play!”

”To p.i.s.s Brovik off, because you're jealous jealous of Kurt?” of Kurt?”

Ethan slapped me across the face. I reeled from the blow.

Philip stepped in between us. ”Touch her again, and I'll take her to Brovik myself!”

”This is none of your affair!”

Philip s.h.i.+elded me in his arms. ”Strike her and you'll have me to contend with. I'm capable and you know it.”

Ethan backed off. ”Say h.e.l.lo to Brovik's a.s.sa.s.sin, Mia. Does his clownish act fool you? This deadly weapon shed family blood before. There was a rebellion. Brovik ordered him to take out the disloyal alphas, but that was centuries before my time.”

Philip sighed. ”I told you, child. It's a b.l.o.o.d.y game. Ethan is right about one thing. You can't alienate the Wolf. We need to stay in his good graces, until we learn what we're after. We've reason to think he's building a laboratory. Kurt has contacts among the rats. They see everything. Brovik sent me here to alert Ethan. This still still may work to our advantage.” Philip and Ethan exchanged a meaningful look that worried me. ”Just do all Ethan says, and everything will be fine.” may work to our advantage.” Philip and Ethan exchanged a meaningful look that worried me. ”Just do all Ethan says, and everything will be fine.”

It was the beginning of the end. A Nordic chill had extinguished some of the heat between Ethan and me. Philip left us soon after the incident with Gaius. When he said goodbye, I clung to the only link I had to anything other than Ethan, begging him to stay.

”I have a summons from the hall of the mountain king to attend him now that he's in winter residence,” Philip said.

”And you always speak so highly of him,” Ethan commented.

”It's the mise en scene mise en scene I object to, snow, ice and forests primeval.” I object to, snow, ice and forests primeval.”